Long-term care network capacity planning with considerations of equity, diversity and inclusion

Long-term care (LTC) refers to various medical and non-medical services for people, particularly older adults, with disabilities or chronic diseases. The LTC facility network in Canada faces several critical issues including bed shortages, with existing facilities having insufficient capacity to meet the demand for their services. Moreover, equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) should play an important role in LTC facility capacity planning and allocation. With a focus on the current LTC system in Canada, this study will utilize advanced prescriptive analytics models to inform the timing and location of new LTC facilities, the capacity (human resources, beds) of each facility at each time point and the admission and assignment of patients based on their demand, region, gender, language and age group to facilities over short-, medium- and long-term planning horizons.

“This project will assist key stakeholders in Canada, in general, and in Ontario particularly, by tackling the crucial issues within the LTC network as it faces surging demand, language considerations and challenges as it relates to efficient capacity planning. This research will also assist by providing guidance to help patients experience a better quality of life by assigning them to the nearest facilities and reducing their sense of loneliness by ensuring a minimum number of patients from each gender and language in every facility and period.” — Kai Huang